The Winter Soldier - The Little One
by Ali Rockatansky
Summary: Bucky finds a little kitten on the alley, behind a restaurant and decides to take it back to the Avengers Tower.


Bucky walks around the city, hands deep in his pockets and a cap so low on his head that his eyes are barely visible. Suddenly he stops. Something had startled him. Every hair in his body stands up when he's listening his surroundings. There it is again. It sounds like metal scraping down the ground. But it's not the only sound he hears. His ears picks this whiny, high pitched, almost cry-like noise. He's confused because he can't connect the sound at its source. It sounds almost...innocent? He rolls the word on his tongue, it is familiar but he can't identify to it. The sound comes from a narrow alley behind some weird named restaurant he doesn't even try to remember. Though he's pretty sure it is that place Stark has mentioned couple of times.

There is nothing in the alley. Bucky searches the whole thing. Twice. Then the sound starts again and makes him rush in the shadow of a dumpster. " _Yebat! Where the hell is it?"_ Then he sees movement next to a trash can: the lit is on the ground and it sways a little. There definitely can't be anything big down there. He creeps closer, crouches on the ground and moves the lid aside. Under it he finds the dirtiest little kitten. It is mostly black but there are spots under its neck and paws that at least used to be white. It looks starved and reeks. The kitten comes towards Bucky and he sees it's limping. He stands up and backs up a bit. Something feels funny inside of him. Could it after all be a trap? Has he been poisoned by this innocent looking creature? He needs to find something heavy, brick or rock, so he could release the small one from its misery. That weird feeling again. He definitely isn't going to touch it by himself, not even with his bionic arm. It has been poisoned and he already touched the lid that hide it. Now it tries to touch his leg with it's head. He backs away again. It probably has programmed to touch him, the poison must be in it's fur. He scans the area again. Nothing heavy or useful. Then his eyes catch a broken bottle. He could slit its throat. It would be quick.

Bucky picks the bottle up. The masked thread is coming towards him again. Scampering as fast as it can with that broken leg of its. He crouches and when it is almost close enough he realises that though with the bottle in his hand he would need to touch it even just for a second to get it in the right position. He could just shove it through it but it feels kind of monstrous thing to do. Unwellness pierces right through him and he shivers a bit. If he just does it quickly he maybe manages to get to back to the Avengers Tower in time so Stark can figure out what is wrong with him.

He takes the creature on his cybernetic hand and right when he's about to press the bottle on it's throat it starts to lick his fingers and makes this funny humming noise. Bucky winces and drops it on the ground. It makes really weak and sad sounding cry and he realises that it must have been hurt when it's injured leg touched the pavement. "Dermo. I'm so sorry little one. C'mere. I don't hurt you", he coaxes. The pain he feels on his chest must be something to do with feelings, he understands, when it comes back, now more intense. He carefully puts his flesh hand in front of the kitty's face and when he sees it's not afraid of him, he picks it up again, careful not to hurt it. He puts it inside of his jacket and sprints back to the Tower.

"Mr. Stark isn't going to like that, sir." Jarvis informs Bucky as he walks inside of the Stark Tower. He is still having a hard time to understand that the AI is not a real person and the fact how it can see everything and communicate with people. "Well in that case we won't tell him, right?" "Only if he asks, sir." Bucky lets out a long sigh and answers: "Fine", before entering inside of the elevator.

Natasha is the next one to stop him. She casually sits in the living room couch drinking something that smells like coffee but Bucky can't see all the way there so he can't be sure. "Whatcha doin'?" She asks teasingly. "What do you mean?" "Well, if that ain't alien bursting out of your chest I'd say you are hiding something inside of your jacket." Bucky doesn't get the reference and decides to ignore it completely. "I found this in the alley, back to that place Stark always talks about." He opens his jacket's zipper carefully to show Natasha the cat. "Oh it's a little kitten. Stark won't let you keep it though, you know?" Bucky furrows his brows and answers: "But it's hurt. Please help me with it." "Keeping secrets from Stark? I'm game!"

Natasha jumps off the couch and they go into the kitchen to figure what would be appropriate food to feed the kitten. So he could freely raid the closets, Bucky places the cat carefully on the sink where it quickly curls up and pull back its ears. "I know you're scared but gimme a minute so I can find you something to eat Little one." "Little one?" Natasha asks. "Well it _is_ tiny. I'm not good with names, I just wanted to call her something else than _it_. I've had enough with that when...they called me that." Bucky stumbles his words. Natasha doesn't say anything but gives him encouraging look and a small smile so he knows she understands what he means.

"Hey, here is like ten cans of something weird looking tuna. Do you think she can eat this?" Bucky gives a can to Natasha who lets out a laugh. "This is caviar, I think it is okay but we can find out. Jarvis is it okay to feed caviar to a cat?" It doesn't take a long to AI to answer: "Considering that the celebrity chef Simon Rimmer and the television vet Joe Inglis have been made a dish just for cats, that costs 37 dollars and contains roasted duck, lobster sushi roll, Beluga caviar and beetroot jellies I would say it is alright. But I know for a fact that those are Stark's expensive and very hard to get caviars you are thinking to use, I'd say don't." Bucky doesn't listen the rest of AI's speech but is already opening the can and pouring half of it on the plate that he puts in front of the kitty, with a bowl of fresh water. He looks pleased when the contents of the plate disappears into the kitten's mouth.

Bathing the Little One turns out to be Mission Impossible because when they do much as open a faucet, the kitten escapes one's grasp and runs under the toilet cabinets. "Maybe we should take it to the vet so they can check her leg and bath her there", Natasha suggests after one and a half an hour of scratching and meowing. "Vet's one kind of doctor right?" Bucky asks with nervous on his voice. "Well, yes. One for animals. Don't worry, you are safe. We have trained you well, you pass as a person by now." Bucky knows it is a joke but can't get himself to laugh. "Hey, sorry. That was uncool. Just forget I said anything", Natasha apologizes and adds: "I can go behalf of you if you'd like." "No, she's in my responsibility. I just...I just hate the smell and the coats."

The animal clinic they go isn't so bad Bucky had afraid. People in there are very nice and helpful, they wash the kitty and put a cast on her leg. When Bucky and Natasha are leaving they give a basket of food, brochures and other stuff they'll need, with them. When they head back to the Avengers tower Natasha stops to buy some toys, more food and a cat litter while Bucky waits in the car with, now sleeping kitten.

"So are you going to keep her in your room?" Natasha asks when they've got all the stuff back to the right floor. Bucky appreciates that she used the word _her_ instead of _it._ "Well no one ever comes there if not necessary and I don't think it's a bad thing if Steve finds out, even though he's a terrible liar." "Okay, then I guess the litter goes into your bathroom and we figure out where to put the rest of the stuff. We need to read the brochures and books we got because I really don't know much of taking care of the cat." Bucky nods and piles them up on his bed. He empties the basket they got on the desk and pulls a blanket Natasha had bought on the bottom of it. "Where do you want to sleep Little one? Should we put this next to my bed?" He gives a questioning look on Natasha's direction but she has started to put together the claiming three and has lost in her thoughts so he decides that the next of his bed is as good as any place.

"When have you guys clean up in here? It feels like my throat is going to board up, every time I come here." Stark sneezes and starts to cough. Steve gives a knowing look on Bucky's direction but he just looks as innocent as he possibly can and shrugs his shoulders to Stark. How the hell Bucky could have known that Man of Iron's kryptonite is furry animals instead of just plainly not liking them. It doesn't take long before Stark's eyes starts to leak and he needs to exit the suite. "I'll send someone to clean this place up", he calls out from the elevator before the door closes. "When are you going to tell him?" Steve asks. "When that cleaning personnel comes I guess he's going to find out anyway", Bucky answers and goes to his room playing with the kitten that he has adopted as 'the Little One' and who looks much more healthier now that a few months ago.


End file.
